Free Among You by Jack Wallen

but nothing came out.
    “ Wow! This is a red-letter day. Not only did I scare you, I rendered you speechless.” Timely danced around Babbette and sang a song in the tongue of ‘Kind. “Too rah ha. De lah pra ha no ja. For keeg zo ti la ja.”
    Babbette turned and pointed her finger at Timely. “ That is so not true. I did not make a fool of myself because of a silly crush.”
    Timely continued to sing. “ Mo rey ti zo nee zay.”
    “ Stop it, Timely,” Babbette insisted. “We aren’t supposed to use the ancient tongue in public. If my father were to hear you…”
    “ Babbette tor vortilah haha.”
    “ You’re lucky I am a lady, Timely, and your best friend.”
    Timely finally stopped singing and dancing. A grin spread wide across her face. “ Admit it, you’ve got it bad for that human boy.”
    Babbette gasped. “I will admit no such thing.”
    “ Babbette, I can see it written all over your face, even through your mask.” Timely tugged at Babbette’s mask. “You have a serious crush on that human boy.”
    An awkward silence drifted between the two girls.
    “ Before you fall too far for him,” Timely pointed toward the human pair, “it looks like he already has a girlfriend.”
    “ I know,” Babbette sighed.
    Timely grabbed Babbette’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Whoa. No, no, no. This is for the best. The second he saw you without your mask, he’d run screaming. Humans don’t value beauty as we do; they can’t see beyond the flesh. Besides, your father would forbid it so hard, your babies would be born screaming ‘Oh no you didn’t, momma!’”
    “ It’s not fair, Timely.”
    Timely turned to Babbette and stared deep into her golden-yellow eyes. “ No, it’s not. That is why we live our lives behind masks, three hundred and sixty four days out of the year. Otherwise, it’d be Frankenstein, all over again.”
    Babbette laughed. “Are you on that conspiracy again? Frankenstein’s monster was not one of us. Besides, that was a tale of fiction. We were there when Mary Shelly wrote the book.”
    “ You mean, I was there,” Timely huffed. “And I know, for a fact…”
    Before Timely could continue her tale, a familiar voice interrupted.
    “ Girls,” Gorman shouted. “What may I ask are you doing out here, when there are humans to frighten within the walls of the manse?”
    Both girls turned and stared, wide-eyed, at Gorman Gaultier.
    “ We were,” started Babbette.
    “ …just getting some fresh air,” continued Timely.
    “ The smoke was bothering my voice,” finished Babbette.
    Gorman stepped in between the girls and leaned against the railing. He took in a great pull of air. “ Isn’t that the most lovely smell? There is something other-worldly about Autumn.”
    “ I wish it would remain this way, year round,” added Timely.
    Gorman glanced at Timely and spoke with a measured tone. “What fun would that be, young Timely? The change of the seasons serves to remind us how precious life is. Without Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, we would all fall victim to complacency. Besides, there’s a beauty in the change that cannot be found elsewhere.”
    Babette moaned. “Oh Father, you’re too much of a romantic.”
    “ And what, may I ask, is wrong with that? Romantic souls are what make the world a beautiful experience. We feed the hearts of those without connection to creation or joy. Without us, this planet would be dreadfully beige.” Gorman turned to Timely. “I do so hate the color beige.”
    “ We know, Father,” chimed Babbette.
    “ Beige is the color of boring,” the girls recited the familiar phrase in unison.
    Gorman let loose a laugh from deep within his belly. The sound resonated off the nearby walls and bounced around until it drifted to silence.
    Babbette looked to her father. “Father…”
    Gorman smiled down at his child. “Yes, my dear?”
    The young girl stared up at the elder and went blank.
    “ Is there something you want of me,